One of the few places in Iran that offers 220 tabletop games as a fun group activity besides the fare usually served in most coffee shops is Café Geek in central Tehran.
Many people, especially the youth, spend a considerable amount of time surfing the Net and social networks. According to report compiled by Hootsuite and We Are Social and published by The Next Web last year, there are 3.028 billion active social media users worldwide, which is about 40% of the global population. This has reduced face-to-face, group and social interactions among people.
Add to it the videogames that gained in popularity over the past four decades (ranging from various consoles to hi-tech smartphones). According to an ESA study on videogame consumers, the number of gamers in the world in 2016 reached 1.8 billion, which has further intensified people’s isolation.
Under the circumstances, places and activities that bring people together to have a good time are finding a large youth following. Tabletop games have such a quality. While one can purchase them (although there are not many available in the local market) to play at home, Café Geek, a recently-opened coffee shop in Tehran, is presenting a plenty of them to provide a joyful atmosphere and experience to its customers.
Tabletop games are normally played on a table or any flat surface. Classified according to the general form, or equipment utilized, they include board games, card games, dice games, paper and pencil games, role playing games, strategy games and tile-based games.
Chess belongs to the board game category, in which pieces are moved or placed on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules.
Other games, however, use various attributes and cannot be classified unambiguously, e.g. Monopoly utilizes a board as well as dice and cards (the term ‘board game’ is used here in this text generally as a tabletop game).
It is now more than three months that Ashkan Rohani, 29, Zeinab Mikaeilzadeh, 35, and Bardia Rahpeyma, 32, have opened Geek where the three board game fans spend a great deal of their time and energy to guide visitors about how to play these games.
In an interview with Financial Tribune, Rohani and Rahpeyma talked about the idea behind establishing the board game café, people's reception and status of board games in the country.
"We were lucky to find each other,” Rohani said. “Our common interest [in board games] activated our inner child who was fond of playing games but was subdued as we grew up."
Social Life vs. Cyberspace
Although it is a business run to make a living from, they consider it a cultural initiative whereby people are invited to open up and enjoy group activities instead of just being busy with their cellphones.
“We want to take people out of their isolation [created by new technologies], revive sweet memories of childhood and have fun with others," Rohani said.
Board games have been played in most cultures and societies throughout history. A number of important historical sites, artifacts and documents shed light on early board games such as Jiroft civilization's gameboards in Iran.
Rohani, Rahpeyma and Mikaeilzadeh were among the first people to launch such a café in Tehran (even now, there are only a couple of cafes that present tabletop games).
However, as Rohani said, they got the idea from European countries, especially Germany, where such cafes are very popular.
The late 1990s saw a substantial growth in the reach and market of board games. Around 2000, the board gaming industry registered significant growth, with companies producing a rising number of new games for a growing audience worldwide.
The three young friends got together at Bazi Khooneh (literally game house) in Dowlat neighborhood, north of Tehran, two years ago, and introduced many board games to the fans. However, the owner of the café, Beautiful Mind Company, an importer of board games, decided to close it, so they decided to open their own café.
Players at the café range from 6 to 60 years, but as Rahpeyma noted, "People in the 20-35 age-group constitute the majority of gamers. Some of the most popular games are 'Ca$h n Guns', 'Risk', 'Pandemic', 'Sushi Go!' and 'Dixit'."
Elaborating on the time required to learn to play a game, Rahpeyma said it varies greatly and ranges from 5 to 45 minutes.
"The minimum time it takes to finish a simple game is 20 minutes but some complicated ones take up to 3 hours. And while most of the games can be played in groups of two to six people, there are some that a person can play individually. But on the other hand, up to 15 people can join some RPGs," Rahpeyma said.
"Financially, it will get better as we continue, but for the moment we are satisfied with the business," Rohani added. Following the popularity of the foreign board games in the country, several local companies have started producing domestic games that are compatible with Iranian culture, beliefs and lifestyle.
The café is also active in the field of translating the foreign games' instructions into Persian and making educational videos.
Exercising Problem Solving Practically
Nevertheless, some people question the nature of such games by saying, "What's the point of playing?" and "What's good in wasting our time?"
Replying to the same queries, Rohani said, "We should see how the critics define 'wasting time'. If you spend some time to get a good feeling, we don't call it wasting your time. If the time is spent in a way that you learn something, you haven't wasted your time."
"One of the most important benefits of board games, like any other kind of games, is that they provide players the opportunity to make the best decisions," he added.
Some games are based on pure strategy and depend completely on players' skills, some need thinking and decision-making and contain an element of chance, while some are more like brain games that pose challenges. Some others, mostly children's games such as Snakes and Ladders, are purely chance, with no element of skill.
"At school, we learn everything theoretically. In board games, we exercise problem solving practically. In doing so, we learn mathematics, logic, resource management and public relations. In board games, your defeat is not a real one but what you gain is precious," Rahpeyma said.
Another important aspect of some games is diplomacy, that is, players making deals with one another. Negotiation generally features only in games with three or more players.
An important facet of 'The Settlers of Catan', for example, is convincing players to trade with you rather than with opponents. In 'Risk', two or more players may team up against others. Easy diplomacy involves convincing other players that someone else is winning and should therefore be teamed up against.
March 28 has been named the International Tabletop Day and is celebrated in many countries with fun events. It is also observed in Iran and Café Geek is making plans for the date.
